Lower Table Rock, June 2013

My journey to Southern Oregon covered several habitats: The Upper and Lower Table Rocks near Medford, the subalpine area near Diamond Lake, and several other locales in between. This time of year can be hot and dry in this part of the state, but recent cool weather and rain seemed to have delayed some of the wildflower blooming.

At the lower elevations the grasses were dry and all of the Spring wildflowers were gone, but the Summer crop was getting started. At the higher elevations, the first wave of blooming was just starting, so I had plenty of subject matter!

The first day (6/10/2013) in the area was 70 and partly cloudy and it warmed up from there. On the fourth day it was 85 and sunny.

On 6/11/2013, I spent the day at Lower Table Rock, hiking and searching for wildflowers and geocaches. It was a nice cool day, about 72, and partly cloudy, so ideal for what I was doing!

Here are some of the wildflowers I saw and identified at Lower Table Rock:

Northwest Balsamroot - Balsamorhiza deltoidia

Oregon Sunshine - Eriophyllum lanatum,



Harvest Brodiaea - Brodiaea elegans

 

Heart-leaf Buckwheat - Erigonum compositum

(Detail above)

 

 

Fitch Spikeweed - Hemizonia fitchii

 

 

Farewell to Spring - Clarkia purpurea

 

 

Manzanita, one of eight species in Southern Oregon

 

Coyote Mint - Monardella odorratissima

 

 

Indian Paintbrush (one of several area species) - probably Castilleja pruinosa